Lakpa Dendi Sherpa

Lakpa Dendi Sherpa grew up in Mamerku village, Mahakulung–3, Solukhumbu, with the mountains he'd one day make his life's work rising right outside his door. That closeness never left him. Since 2009, he's spent over a decade climbing, guiding, and rescuing across the Himalaya, and somewhere along the way became one of the most accomplished mountaineers alive — eleven summits of Everest, thirty-three summits of 8,000-meter peaks in total, across Everest, K2, Lhotse, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Shishapangma, Broad Peak, Annapurna, and more.

Twice, he's been featured in Guinness World Records. In 2018, he summited Everest three times in just 10 days, 18 hours, and 30 minutes — the fastest anyone has ever done it.

That same year, he climbed both Everest and K2 in 59 days. Numbers like these are why he's considered one of the most experienced climbing guides working in the Nepalese Himalaya today.

But what stays with the people who climb alongside him isn't just the record book — it's how he shows up when things go wrong. Lakpa has led more than 100 small-scale rescues and been the one climbing up, not down, during high-altitude emergencies above Camp IV on Everest, near the summit of Manaslu, and on the north side of Broad Peak. For him, getting a client safely to the summit was never really the finish line — getting them home is.

He's trained across the board — rock climbing, high-altitude rescue, trekking guiding, even paragliding — but ask anyone who's shared a base camp with him and they won't start with his credentials. They'll tell you about his energy. Lakpa carries an easy, infectious positivity up the mountain with him, the kind that makes long, brutal days feel a little lighter just because he's there.

In 2022, he was part of the support crew for Wasfia's Broad Peak and K2 expeditions. When the climbing's done for the day and the tents are up, Lakpa is, without argument, the best dancer in camp.

You can find Lakpa on IG @lakpa8848